MOSCOW, March 17. /ITAR-TASS/. A high voter turnout at Crimea’s referendum indicates the legitimacy of the people’s will in Crimea, and the international community should, therefore, recognize the results of the referendum, held in the republic on March 16, the All-Russia People’s Front (ONF) movement’s press-service told Itar-Tass on Monday.

“An unprecedented high voter turnout in Crimea proves that the expression of will by the people of Crimea is a legitimate act which, in my opinion, should be recognized not only by the Russian and Ukrainian authorities, but by the whole international community as well,” Alexander Brechalov, co-chairman of the All-Russia People's Front central headquarters, president of the all-Russia public organization of small and medium entrepreneurship Opora Rossii (Russia's Mainstay), was quoted as saying.

The referendum on Crimean Autonomous Republic’s accession to Russia as one of the constituent regions was held on Sunday.

Crimean residents were asked two questions: “Do you support Crimea’s reunification with Russia as its constituent member?” and “Do you support the restoration of the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea of 1992 and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?”

According to summarized data, 96.77% of the people who voted in the referendum backed Crimea’s reunification with Russia, the head of the Supreme Council’s referendum commission, Mikhail Malyshev told Krym (Crimea) state television on Monday.

A total of 1,233,002 voters, or 96.77%, said they wanted to join Russia, Malyshev told the viewers. The voter turnout was 1,274,096 million, or 83.1% of eligible voters, he said summing up the results of the referendum.